Rocktop pagoda. Photo taken in January: blue sky may not be available this time.

If there is heavy rain, we might cancel the hike. If we cancel, we will post a notice here by 06:30 on Sunday.

Warnings: Some parts of this hike are steep and stony or slippery. One trail section is narrow beside quite a steep drop. So this hike is not for those who lack a firm sense of balance. Use of proper hiking boots is strongly advised, and hiking poles are also advisable. Also, the trail is not well shaded, so it may be quite hot as well as humid.

An 11 km ridge walk, with good valley views, taking in a number of peaks (max. alt. 756m, min 342m), starting at Crazy Horse buttress near Muang On cave and finishing near Sankamphaeng hot springs so we can have a relaxing swim in the hot pool after the hike.

Estimated durations:

driving there and back: 2hrs

hiking: 5 hours

eating and bathing: 1.5+ hours

Therefore, don’t expect to get back to Chiang Mai before 16:00 unless you have your own vehicle and want to sacrifice the eating and bathing.

We last did this hike on 24th January. It should be an interesting contrast at this time of year: no smoke from forest burn-off, more green vegetation to relieve the rocky terrain, and hopefully a few more fauna.

Hike Leaders: Chan and Tom.

.If you want to join:
Make sure you have read the general advice on this website as well as the specific hike details in this post. If you still think the hike is for you, just turn up at the meeting place on the day, on time. No need to inform us in advance. But we cannot accommodate groups. Seats in cars are usually available but cannot be guaranteed. Please give 100 baht to your driver towards fuel costs if you need a lift, and bring a change of clothes for the return journey.

.Meeting Place
We will meet at 07.20 in front of Promenada Mall on H.1317 (Point A on the map below). At 07:30 we head straight out along the H.1317 Sankamphaeng Bypass past Ban On and leave some vehicles at the hot springs car park (GPS co-ords 18.8141802,99.229331), before returning to the Crazy Horse buttress area behind Muang On cave hill.

Related

4 Responses

Hello, me and my friend are interested in joining the hike, but we don’t have a way to get to Promenada that early in the morning (worried there won’t be songtows that early). Is anyone driving who could give us a lift from near the old city/Nimmanheim/Santitham?

ABOUT CHIANG MAI HIKING

Hikes on this website are open to individuals, not big groups or for commercial uses.

There is no formal membership and no need to sign up for hikes in advance. If you want to join a hike, make sure you read the general guidance on this site and the specific hike details. Then if you still think the hike is for you, just turn up.

The hikes are shared experiences, not services. Every hiker remains responsible for his or her own safety, welfare and actions at all times.

The hikes nevertheless have a spirit of co-operation. Participants respect the leadership of the hike initator(s) and comradeship with everyone on the hike.

Some hikes involve car-sharing to the start point from the meeting point. This involves individual arrangements between drivers and passengers at the meeting point. It usually works fine, but places in cars cannot be absolutely guaranteed in advance.

You are encouraged to get involved in leading and/or creating hikes when you have some experience, or to help out in other ways.